Building Material

Materials For Cement

Concrete.

PREPARED BY:
KASIM MALEK SIR
 INTRODUCTION
The cement concrete is a mixture of cement,
sand,pebbles or crushed rock and water, which, when
placed in the skeleton of forms and allowed to cure,
become hard like stone.
The cement concrete has attained the status of major
building materials because of following reasons.
1. Its set quickly as compared to lime.
2. It has good compressive strength.
3. It can be readily moulded into desire size and
shape.
4. It binds rapidly with steel and as it is weak in
tension, the steel reinforcement is placed in cement
concrete to resists tensile stresses. This is termed as
R.C.C(reinforced cement concrete).
Different Types Of Cement.
1.Acid-resistant 7.Low heat cement.
cement. 8.Pozzolana cement.
2.Blast furnace 9.Extra rapid hardening
cement. cement
3.Coloured cement. 10.Sulphate resisting
4.Expanding cement. cement
5.Quick setting 11.White cement
cement. 12.Air entraining
6.Hydrophobic cement. 13. High alumina
14. Water proof cement
Details of different cement with their uses
1.Acid-resistant cement:-It is composed of the
following.
 Acid-resistant aggregates such as
quartz,quartzites,etc
 Additive such as sodium fluosilicate Na2SiF6 and
 Solution of sodium silicate or soluble glass.
 By adding 0.5% of linseed oil it resistant to water
is increased and it is known as acid and water
resistant cement.
USES:-In chemical industry its used as heat
resistant & acid resistant coating.
2. Blast furnace:-For this cement, the slag as obtained from
blast furnace is used. Slag is a waste product in the
manufacturing process of pig iron.
Uses:- Construction in cold regions like marine and under
ground works.
3.Coloured cement:-Cement of desired colour may be
obtained by mixing pigments with ordinary cement.
Uses:- Widely used for floor finishing, stair treads,artifical
marble, window sill slab etc.
4.Expanding cement:-Contain sulpho aluminate stabilizing
agent, expands on setting.
Use:-It is used for construction of water retaining
structures and also for repairing the damaged concrete.
5.Quick setting cement:-This cement is produced by
adding small % of aluminum sulphate and finely grinding
the cement. And less % of gypsum is added. The setting
action setting starts within five minutes and becomes hard
in 30 min.
Uses:-It is used in under water construction & running
water.
6.Hydrophobic cement:-This type of cement contain
admixtures which decrease the wetting ability of cement
grains.
Uses:-Can be stored for long periods. Thus frost
resistance and water resistance is increased.
7.Low heat cement:-It contains less C3S and C3A
percentage, and higher percentage of C2S.this cement
posses less compressive strength.
Uses:-It is mainly used for mass concrete work.
8.Pozzolana cement:-It contains volcanic ash, pozzolana. Heat
of hydration is low. And high tensile strength.
USE:-Hydraulic structures i.e. dam, Sewage works.
9.Extra Rapid hardening setting cement:-This cement is
obtained by adding calcium chloride with rapid hardening
portland cement. This type of cement should be
transported,placed,compacted and finished within 20 minutes after
mixing.
10.Sulphate resisting cement:-The sulphate resistant cement is
made with low C3A content is found to be effective. Such
cement with low C3A and comparatively low C4AF content is
known as sulphate resisting cement. This cement has a high
silicate content. The specification generally limits the C3A
content to 5 percent.
Uses:-In foundations where soil contain sulphate.
In marine construction.
11. White cement:-It is prepared from pure lime
stones, free from iron oxides.
USES:-swimming pools, decorative works etc.

12. High alumina:-Its contain alumina, lime,

bauxite. Compressive strength is more.
Use:-Cold region, frosts area, sea water etc.
Grade of cement

 Grade refers to the strength of cement at 28

days, when tested as per IS: 4031-1988.
 If the 28 days strength is less than 33 N/mm2, it
is called 33 Grade Cement.
 If the 28 days strength is lies between 33 to 43
N/mm2, it is called 43 Grade Cement.
 If the 28 days strength is lies between 43 to 53
N/mm2, it is called 53 Grade Cement.
Field test of cement.

 The colour of cement should be uniform. Its

colour should be gray or green.
 Cement should sink and should not float when
thrown in water.
 It should be in the form of fine powder. There
should be no lumps in bag.
 The cement should feel smooth when touched
or rubbed in between fingers.
 No cracks should be observed on paste after
setting.
Laboratory Test
Laboratory test are Chemical composition

Fineness

Compressive strength

Tensile strength

Consistency

Setting time

Soundness
 Chemical composition
The
   following are the chemical requirements of
ordinary portland cement as per IS-269-1998.
i. Ratio of % of alumina to that of iron oxide should be
less than 0.66.
ii. Ratio of percentage of alumina,silica,iron oxide should
be between 0.66 and 1.22,when calculated by following
formula:

iii. Loss on ignition should not be greater than 4%

iv. Sulphur content should be greater than 2.75%
v. Weight of insoluble residue should not me greater than
1.50%
vi. Weight of magnesia should not exceed 5%
 Fineness
 This test is carried out to check proper grinding
of cement. The fineness of cement particles may
be determined by sieve test.
In sieve test, the cement weighing 100gm is
taken and it is continuously passed for 15 min
through standard BIS sieve no 9.
The residue is then weighed and this weight
should not be more than 10% of original weight.
 Soundness
Soundness of cement is determined by Le-
Chatelier method as per IS: 4031 (Part 3) –
1988.
Volumetric changes after setting of cement are
responsible for causing cracks, distortion and
disintegration of concrete.

Le chaterlier apparatus
Procedure to determine soundness of cement:

i) Place the mould on a glass sheet and fill it with the cement paste formed
by gauging cement with 0.78 times the water required to give a paste of
standard consistency.

ii) Cover the mould with another piece of glass sheet, place a small weight
on this covering glass sheet and immediately submerge the whole
assembly in water at a temperature of 27 ± 2oC and keep it there for 24hrs.

iii) Measure the distance separating the indicator points to the nearest 0.5mm
(say d1 ).

iv) Submerge the mould again in water at the temperature prescribed above.
Bring the water to boiling point in 25 to 30 minutes and keep it boiling for
3hrs.

v) Remove the mould from the water, allow it to cool and measure the
distance between the indicator points (say d2 ).

vi) (d2 – d1 ) represents the expansion of cement.

Dimension of Le-Chatelier Apparatus.
 CONSISTENCY TEST

The basic aim is to find out the water content required
to produce a cement paste of standard consistency as
specified by the IS: 4031 (Part 4) – 1988.
The principle is that standard consistency of cement is
that consistency at which the Vicat plunger penetrates
to a point 5-7mm from the bottom of Vicat mould.
Apparatus – Vicat apparatus conforming to IS: 5513 –
1976, Balance, whose permissible variation at a load
of 1000g should be +1.0g, Gauging trowel conforming
to IS: 10086 – 1982.
Procedure to determine consistency of cement
i) Weigh approximately 400g of cement and mix it with a
weighed quantity of water. The time of gauging should be
between 3 to 5 minutes.
ii) Fill the Vicat mould with paste and level it with a trowel.
iii) Lower the plunger gently till it touches the cement surface.
iv) Release the plunger allowing it to sink into the paste.
v) Note the reading on the gauge.
vi) Repeat the above procedure taking fresh samples of cement
and different quantities of water until the reading on the gauge
is 5 to 7mm.
Reporting of Results
Express the amount of water as a percentage of the weight of
dry cement to the first place of decimal.
INITIAL AND FINAL SETTING TIME
We need to calculate the initial and final setting time as per IS:
4031 (Part 5) – 1988. To do so we need Vicat apparatus
conforming to IS: 5513 – 1976, Balance, whose permissible
variation at a load of 1000g should be +1.0g, Gauging trowel
conforming to IS: 10086 – 1982.
Procedure to determine initial and final setting time of cement
i) Prepare a cement paste by gauging the cement with 0.85 times
the water required to give a paste of standard consistency.
ii) Start a stop-watch, the moment water is added to the cement.
iii) Fill the Vicat mould completely with the cement paste gauged
as above, the mould resting on a non-porous plate and smooth off
the surface of the paste making it level with the top of the mould.
The cement block thus prepared in the mould is the test block.
A) INITIAL SETTING TIME
Place the test block under the rod bearing the needle.
Lower the needle gently in order to make contact
with the surface of the cement paste and release
quickly, allowing it to penetrate the test block. Repeat
the procedure till the needle fails to pierce the test
block to a point 5.0 ± 0.5mm measured from the
bottom of the mould.The time period elapsing
between the time, water is added to the cement and
the time, the needle fails to pierce the test block by
5.0 ± 0.5mm measured from the bottom of the
mould, is the initial setting time.
B) FINAL SETTING TIME
Replace the above needle by the one with an
annular attachment. The cement should be
considered as finally set when, upon applying the
needle gently to the surface of the test block, the
needle makes an impression therein, while the
attachment fails to do so. The period elapsing
between the time, water is added to the cement
and the time, the needle makes an impression on
the surface of the test block, while the attachment
fails to do so, is the final setting time.
Some places get plenty of rainfall in the rainy
season and have high humidity in other
seasons.The transportation and storage of cement
in such places cause deterioration in the quality
of cement. In such far off places with poor
communication system, cement perforce requires
to be stored for long time.
Ordinary cement gets deteriorated and loses
some if its strength, whereas the hydrophobic
cement which does not lose strength is an answer
for such situations.
Portland pozzolana cement produces less
heat of hydration and offers greater
resistance to the attack of aggressive waters
than ordinary Portland cement. Moreover, it
reduces the leaching of calcium hydroxide
when used in hydraulic structures. It is
particularly useful in marine and hydraulic
construction and other mass concrete
constructions.
Uses:
 Sulphate attack is greatly accelerated if accompanied by alternate
wetting and drying which normally takes place in marine structures
in the zone of tidal variations.  Sulphates react both with the free
calcium hydroxide in set cement to form calcium
sulphate 
Extra rapid hardening cement accelerates the
setting and hardening process.
A large quantity of heat is evolved in a very
short time after placing.
The acceleration of setting, hardening and
evolution of this large quantity of heat in the
early period of hydration makes the cement
very suitable for concreting in cold weather.
Storage Of Cement.
The cement should be stored carefully. Otherwise it may absorb
moisture from the atmosphere and may become useless for structural
work. Following precautions are to be taken for the storage of cement.
 Place of storage should be dry.
 Floor walls and roof should be water proof.
 Storage place should be at higher level.
 Fitting of shutter of doors,windows,ventilators should be proper.
 Cement bags should be protected from rain and winds.
 Bags should be stacked in piles.number of bags should not be more
than 10 to 12 in pile.
 A distance of about 300 mm should be kept between the pile of
cement bags and exterior.
 Period of storage should not be more than 3 months under nomal
circumstances.
 While removing bags from piles, steps should be formed by taking
two or three bags.
ADDIMTURES
Properties of cement or concrete can be improved by mixing admixtures.
Accelerators speed up the hydration (hardening) of the concrete. Typical
materials used are CaCl2, Ca(NO3)2 and NaNO3. However, use of chlorides may
cause corrosion in steel reinforcing and is prohibited in some countries, so that
nitrates may be favored.
Retarders slow the hydration of concrete and are used in large or difficult pours
where partial setting before the pour is complete is undesirable
Air entrainments add and entrain tiny air bubbles in the concrete, which reduces
damage during freeze-thaw cycles, increasing durability. However, entrained air
entails a trade off with strength, as each 1% of air may decrease compressive
strength 5%.
Plasticizers increase the workability of plastic or "fresh" concrete, allowing it be
placed more easily, with less consolidating effort. A typical plasticizer is
lignosulfonate. Plasticizers can be used to reduce the water content of a concrete
while maintaining workability and are sometimes called water-reducers due to
this use. Such treatment improves its strength and durability characteristics